


But What Is Courage, Really?

by nogood_nobody



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: Gen, Link might not have a death wish, but he certainly expects to meet him in the end, injury mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28907496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nogood_nobody/pseuds/nogood_nobody
Summary: He can't sleep. How could he? His sister is gone and his only way to get to her is by boarding a pirate ship. The captain of said ship seems determined to snap him out of his "Hero fantasy". But he's no hero. Heroes expect to come home in the end.
Relationships: Could be the start of link/tetra, Link & Tetra (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	But What Is Courage, Really?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even remember writing this? Where did this come from? Eh, whatever. Enjoy!

Link breathed in the cool night air as he leaned against the railing of the ship he’d found himself boarding earlier in the day. The waves gave the wood he stood on a gentle sway that he had quickly become accustomed to, and the sea breeze brought a small mist of water up to brush his face. 

He glanced up to the sky, noting the full moon and countless stars that danced and glittered above him. Though his village was small, it still cast enough light to blacken the sky considerably when one stood at the village center. You could climb up to the mountain peak, where the rope bridge led to the woods, but monsters could often be found along its trail, making the trek too dangerous for most. On the water however, it was entirely different. There were no land masses to obscure his vision, no light to smother the star's appearance. Any other time he would have grinned at the sight before him, reveled in the breeze and the waves and the calm. But this was not any other time.

Instead, his thoughts wandered to his little sister, Aryll, and the circumstances that lead to him being aboard this ship- _Pirate ship,_ His brain reminded him-In the first place. Had it really been just this morning that that giant bird had swooped down on them, stealing her away and plunging him into this mess? 

The pirate captain- _Tetra,_ his mind spat the name, though he knew blaming her was hardly fair-Had been the birds target, carrying her in its claws, the bird flew over Outset Island, but her men had freed her with a well-aimed cannonball to the skull. The bird had dropped her into the woods on the mountain-top where Link found her, unconscious but unharmed. She hadn’t even thanked him, Link recalled bitterly, for dispatching the monsters that were more than likely there to take her back to the bird. But it didn’t take her. It took Aryll, it took _his sister_ instead. 

It took the entirety of the trek down the mountain, a journey made in painful silence with Tetra and her crewmate Gonzo, for the shock of what happened to recede. In its place was a burning rage the likes of which Link couldn’t ever remember feeling. He was _angry._ Angry the bird had taken his sister, angry the pirates had led it to Outset in the first place, angry that he could do nothing but _watch_ as that-that _demon_ flew into the distance, his sister's screams fading into the wind.

That anger soon reformed itself however, Orca’s teachings ringing in his mind. _Anger makes you foolish,_ He had said during one of their duels. Link had made a blind charge after being knocked over one-too-many times for his liking, and was sent sprawling rather easily for his recklessness. _Center yourself. Anger is your enemy, but it can be harnessed; Controlled. Turn your anger to determination, give it a focus, and you will find your challenges easier to bear._

And that’s what he’d done. His anger, once a fog of red that clouded his vision and hampered his thoughts, became a pinprick that remained trained in the direction that the bird had gone. His thoughts drifted around this dot, using it as a guidepost to direct their musings before he came to one simple conclusion: He needed to save his sister, and to do that, he needed the pirates.

Tetra, really all the crewmembers, were not happy with his realization, even less so with his demand to be let aboard. Tetra had refused outright, claiming a _child_ such as he would be nothing but a headache. Child! Looking at her, she couldn’t possibly be any older than he was! He’d been ready to argue, hell he’d been ready to _fight_ to get aboard that ship, but thankfully he didn’t have to.

The Rito postman -Quill, if Link remembered right- Was quick to point out what Link already knew: The bird never would have come if not for Tetra and her pirates bringing it to Outset. He also mentioned young girls with long ears being kidnapped all over the Great Sea, a trait Tetra and Aryll had in common. The realization that the bird had mistaken Aryll for Tetra seemed to stun the girl into silence, and sent a new wave of red encroaching around the edge of Link’s eyes. He beat it back in time to hear the name Forsaken Fortress, and gathered that was where the crew would be headed. It was a six day trip, meaning they would have to traverse the entirety of the Great Sea to get there. Link wanted to scream. He needed his sister back _now!_ But it couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t exactly call a tornado down to carry him wherever he needed to go, so he would have to make due with more normal, and frankly safer, methods of travel.

After retrieving the shield from the loft of his house, and tearfully comforting his grieving grandmother, Link boarded the ship and began heading north. Tetra had been insistent he pull his own weight while aboard her ship, a demand Link was more than willing to comply with, and sent him to work under Niko, the rodent faced underling of the crew. He had been overjoyed to get a new swabbie, meaning he would no longer be the bottom rung pirate, and put Link straight to work swabbing the deck and organising the cargo hold. It was an all day affair, only ceasing when dinner was made and the crew gathered ‘round to eat, after which they quickly retired to their quarters for the night, save for Zuko, who climbed back up into the crows nest to take first watch. 

Link had tried to get some rest as well, his body had finally acknowledged the rather brutal day it had been through, with all his aches and pains making themselves abundantly clear. One such pain, a rather nasty bruise inflicted on him when a bokoblin got in a lucky shot with its deku stick, complained to the point that Link started to believe it was a bit more serious than a bruise. However, even with his body begging to finally be given a rest, sleep would not come. Between Gonzo and Senza’s snoring, Mako’s mutterings, and Niko’s smell, all added to his own restless brain, his eyes remained firmly open, and sleep remained woefully elusive.

And so here he was, tired body slumped against the railing of Tetra’s ship _The Wind’s Bride_ , and letting his thoughts bounce from one depressing topic to the next. So engrossed in his own mind, he didn’t even hear the cabin door open, nor the footsteps that tread over the deck with an ease that marked a lifetime memorising its surface.

He jumped almost violently when a voice rang out behind him. “What are you doing up so late kid?” Whirling on the spot, his left hand was already halfway up to gripping the sword on his back before the voice registered. He quickly brought it back to his side when he realized just who stood across from him.

Tetra stood leaning against the main mast of the ship, arms crossed and brow raised, clearly unimpressed with his reaction. “Someone’s jumpy,” She smirked “Think it’s a good idea to try and pull a weapon on the person letting you stay here in the first place?”

Link sighed, mumbling a quick apology before turning his back to her and folding his arms on top of the railing, resting his chin atop them. He listened to her footsteps as she approached, but kept his eyes firmly on the horizon, almost hoping she had horribly miscalculated their arrival time and that the Fortress would be appearing any minute. This didn’t happen of course, and the view maintained its flat, uniformly blue appearance.

Feeling eyes on him, Link turned his head slightly to find Tetra leaning her back against the railing, face unreadable and navy blue eyes almost glowing in the darkness, boring into him with an intensity that made him shift in discomfort.

“You didn’t answer me.” She said at length, resting her elbows against the railing as she leaned back further, “What are you doing up? I’d think you’d be out like a light after Niko’s little power trip.” She smirked, the memory of Niko hollering orders at the boy as he tried to accomplish the task already given to him was entertainment for the entire crew. It would be fun to knock him back in line once the kid jumped ship.

Link merely shrugged, masking a wince as his shoulders twinged in pain, sore from heaving boxes twice his size around the cargo hold in an attempt to organise it; A task Niko gleefully commented would normally be left to Senza or Gonzo, the biggest of the crew, but it was fun to see Link try and accomplish it. If not for his need of the crew to get him to his sister, Link may have knocked the rat-faced pirate out right then and there. As it was, he simply took a breath and tuned out Niko’s ramblings as he continued his work.

“Couldn’t sleep. You?” Tetra returned the shrug, but it was clear she wouldn’t follow it up with an answer like he had. They stood in silence for several minutes, the low wind and waves lapping against the boat the only sounds, though Link could swear he could hear Gonzo’s snores from down below.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed you know.” 

Link whipped his head over to look at Tetra. She had crossed her arms and was now glancing at him from the corner of her eye, lips pulled into a frown.

“What?” He asked, righting himself as he turned to face her head on.

“You heard me,” She answered, moving to do the same while crossing her arms, “This big heroic mission of yours? It’s just going to get you killed. You’re just a kid with a sword and a grudge going into the most heavily guarded island on the Great Sea. You’re going to get yourself killed before you even reach your sister.” She said it in such a matter-of-fact way that Link was left speechless for a moment. Whatever he had expected her to say, it wasn’t that.

His hands balled into fists at his sides and his jaw clenched, teeth grinding. He was having enough trouble coming to terms with what he would need to go through to get his sister back, he didn’t need _her_ doubt piled onto his own.

“Thanks for the pep talk,” Link’s voice was calm, but sarcasm practically dripped from between his clenched teeth. “But you’re not gonna talk me out of this.” Tetra’s eyebrow rose, “That thing took my sister, and I’m getting her back. That’s a fact.”

Tetra barked out a cruel laugh, “The only _fact_ is that you’re one kid with a bit of training going against Nayru knows how many well-trained and well-armed monster guards. And you could barely hold your own against two bokoblins with a couple of sticks-Don’t!” She rose a hand when Link opened his mouth to argue. “I saw you holding your side all day when you thought no one would notice. How bad is it?” A hint of concern had leaked into her eyes, and her voice had lost some of its steel.

“It’s just a bruise,” Link answered. Then, a bit more heatedly, he continued, “And it was four in total. Not to mention I’ve fought some of those things before and I’ve come out fine!”

Tetra shook her head dismissively, “A shot with a deku stick will cause a bruise, a cracked rib at worst. If it was a machete you’d be dead.”

“Except I have a shield now!” Link reached a hand back to tug on its edge, “A shot like that will have a lot more trouble getting through.”

“And if it still does?” Tetra took a step forward in challenge, “Or if you lose it in a fight? What then?”

“Then I’ll figure something out!” He took a step to match her own, but she could see the doubt flicker in his eyes. She was pointing out everything that could, and probably _would_ go wrong with his little rescue mission, and he was realizing just how easily this could fail, how easily _he_ could fail. He shook his head sharply, as if to dispel any traitorous thoughts lodged in there, and turned his back to her. His hands, still balled into fists, shook slightly; Whether it was from anger or fear she really couldn’t be sure.

Tetra sighed, she wasn’t going to get through to him, at least not like this. Gentle was hardly her forte, but what the hell? “Listen kid-”

“Don’t call me that!” Tetra’s eyes widened as Link rounded on her, teeth bared in a snarl. “I’m not just some stupid kid from an island with no skills or experience or- or whatever it is you think I am!” The trembling was definitely from rage now. “I _know_ this is dangerous! I _know_ I might get killed! This isn’t some make believe fairy tale adventure!” Link’s breath heaved out of his lungs as Tetra watched wide-eyed. He hadn’t uttered a word of complaint through all of Niko’s abuse, and had been relatively calm during their previous conversations, but she seemed to have found the right button to set him off. Though not physically imposing, the emotion radiating off of him was enough to make Tetra shift back a step.

This movement seemed to have caught Link’s eye, because the fire in them immediately dimmed. His face cooled into something more passive as he tried to reign himself in.

“I’m sorry,” He sighed, looking more tired than he had when she’d first seen him on deck. “I shouldn’t- I didn’t mean to go off like that,” He cast his gaze to the floor, but another bit of fire snapped into his eyes for a moment, and he continued. “I lost my sister. I couldn’t do anything to help her,” Pain twisted his features and for a moment, Tetra thought he might cry. “I can’t fail her again.”

Link took a deep, composing breath as a bit of steel entered his eyes, which locked onto Tetra’s. “If I die, fine. But I won’t let that happen until _after_ she’s safe.” With that, he walked back to the railing, bracing his hands against it. He closed his eyes as a cool breeze swept across his face, helping cool his remaining anger.

Tetra watched him for several moments, still trying to understand what had just transpired. When she agreed to take this boy on her ship, she did it with the expectation that he would quickly come to his senses and ask to be returned home. When that didn’t happen, she thought he was just delusional. He wore the clothes of a hero, and so must have figured himself one as well. Saving the ‘damsel in distress’ earlier in the day probably reinforced the notion. It was clear he cared for his sister, but she figured there was more reason than that behind his actions. What kind of fool would risk themselves like that, even for someone they loved?

Now, she saw she was wrong. Link truly did care deeply for his family. He wasn’t going into this expecting to return as the hero with his sister in tow. He wasn’t expecting to return _at all_. Maybe he was still a bit delusional, thinking death would wait until his sister was free before quietly guiding him away. Or maybe it was the only hope he had left.

 _Farore damn his recklessness. And Nayru damn me for being dumb enough to help him,_ Tetra thought, shaking her head with a barely muffled sigh.

“Mako is the closest thing to a doctor we have on board,” Tetra said abruptly. Link perked his head up and turned it to look back at her, confusion clear on his face. Tetra rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh, though there wasn’t much heart behind it.

“Come morning, he’s going to take a look at your ribs. Not much he can do in five days, but at least you’ll know how bad off you are. And you’re off crate stacking duty tomorrow, no point in you pulling every muscle in your sword arm before your little suicide mission.” She concluded, stretching her arms above her head with a soft groan and a smothered yawn, the excitement of the day was finally catching up with her it seemed.

Link turned around completely and opened his mouth, perhaps to comment on the “suicide mission” jab or to question her sudden burst of good will, but she didn’t give him a chance to do either.

“I’m going to bed,” She said, turning from Link and heading back to the door leading below decks, “You should too, just because you’re not stacking crates doesn’t mean Niko can’t run you ragged with other chores.” She laughed, turning her head just enough as she opened the door to catch Link’s reaction: A pained grimace that quickly formed into an accepting smile and soft laugh. 

As she moved inside and began to shut the door behind her, Link’s voice carried across the deck, “Thank you, Tetra.” She didn’t respond, let him believe the words were carried away on the wind as she closed the door. Making her way to her private quarters, she shook her head with a sigh. This kid was nuts, but he had a good heart. Maybe combined, it would be enough. Despite herself, she really hoped it was.


End file.
